October 25, 2007	Thursday	Shawwal 12, 1428

PESHAWAR, Oct 24: Nine United Nations agencies are to begin coordinated operations in Pakistan under the nomenclature “One UN”, according to officials.

The plan to pool nine UN agencies under the new name will be implemented on an experimental basis from December. The One UN will start activities in six countries, including Pakistan, for which a programme has already been formulated.

The government had requested the world body to start the programme in Pakistan, which was accepted by the United Nations, said the officials.

They said the plan was supposed to take off from June or July this year, but was deferred due to some reasons. The new system would function under a resident coordinator, who would supervise all activities, including human development and betterment of the environment.

Unlike the present scenario in which all nine organs of the UN have separate budgets, administrations, offices and leaders, the One UN would have one budget, one office and one leader.

“The aim of the One UN is to reduce expenditure, avoidance of duplication of activities and incorporation of the element of quality in operations,” officials said, adding that presently different UN organs like the WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, etc., are carrying out activities from their own platforms, which often lead to duplication of activities.

The plan is triggered by the fact that it had been noticed by the top authorities that often more than one UN agency was engaged in identical programmes, which raised the cost. Under the One UN activities would be carried out according to the needs of the country, they said, adding that the funds would be provided as usual by the UN, but better coordination would be stressed with the government.